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Author Notes:This is my own, personal, genius recipe. You can have roast turkey and gravy any night of the week, with leftovers for sandwiches. I found this method on a slow cooker web site, and had my doubts, but the results I achieved were nothing short of wonderful. The method is this: pour one cup - just one - of any liquid, like stock, juice or cider in the bottom of a crock pot, put in a layer of vegetables or fruit, and place a well seasoned, bone in turkey breast on top of it. Then, as they say on TV - set it - and forget it! Reduce the crock pot liquid, thicken a little, and voila! Yummy gravy. —Burnt Offerings

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Makes one turkey breast

1
4 lb. bone in turkey breast

1
cup of good apple cider

1
yellow onion, sliced into thick rounds

1
Fuji or Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into quarters

5-6
fresh sage leaves

2
bay leaves

1/2
stick of butter, softened

1
tablespoon smoked paprika

1
tablespoon poultry seasoning

2
teaspoons sea salt

1
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1
packet proscuitto slices - 3 oz.

1
teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Place a layer of onion slices in the bottom of a 5-6 quart slow cooker.

Layer the apple, sage and bay leaves on top of the onions, and pour the apple cider over all.

Mix together the dry spices, salt and pepper and incorporate the butter, making a spice paste.

Rinse the turkey breast and pat dry. Using your fingers, separate the skin from the meat, without tearing the skin, and smear the seasoned butter under the skin all over the breast.

Lay the prosciutto slices across the turkey breast, overlapping the slices.

Place the turkey breast in the crock pot, breast side up, and cook it on low (8-10 hours), or on high (4-5 hours), until an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the breast reads 170'.

Remove the turkey breast from the crock pot to a plate or platter and tent with foil to rest for at least 15 minutes while you make the gravy.

Pour the contents of the crock pot into a saucepan and remove the sage and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and reduce the volume by 1/3rd.

Once the sauce has reduced, use an immersion blender and blend the onion and apple into the gravy. It should thicken nicely. You can also pour it into a blender, just be careful when blending hot liquid. Add the teaspoon of cider vinegar, taste, and adjust for seasoning. It might need some additional salt - you decide.

Hello! I am more of a baker than a cook so this will be my first attempt at a T-day dinner and I have chosen this recipe. I am actually cooking it this Friday. My Q is this... I went to Whole Foods and due to price of turkey and the size of my cheap crock pot, I purchased a 2.8lb turkey breast (no bone and it still cost $23). How much should I reduce the cooking time by - I will be cooking it on low. I appreciate your help and look forward to this adventure!

The cooking time will be reduced by about an hour. It will probably be done on low at 8 hours and on high at 4. The key is the temperature. 170' is actually a little high - the breast will be thoroughly cooked at 160', and it will continue to cook a little while it's resting. Good luck! I loved this method. You can alter it to suit your tastes with a Southwestern flavor, Italian, Thai, etc.. It's as versatile as you want. I loved the gravy this made, and the prosciutto crisps up surprisingly well.

The smoked paprika gives it a nice roasted appearance, although this does not come out "crock pot soggy" at all. What you want is the smoked flavor, so substitute smoked alder salt for the sea salt and maybe add some roasted, ground coriander and powdered sage to the poultry seasoning. I'm excited to try this method with lots of other flavors like Southwestern, Chinese, Italian, etc...

The paprika gives it a lovely, roasted look, but this does not come out "crock pot soggy" at all. The smoked flavor is what you're after, so if you leave out the paprika, use smoked alder salt in place of the sea salt. You could add some ground, roasted coriander seed and some powdered sage to the poultry seasoning too.

The paprika gives it a lovely roasted looking appearance, but this doesn't come out "crock pot soggy" at all! If you can't use paprika, you might want to substitute a smoked alder salt for the sea salt - it's the smoky flavor you want. You could add some powdered sage and coriander to the poultry seasoning too.